Fluorescent lamp holder



United States Patent O 3 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A support and a socket member for a fluorescent lamp. The socket member being movable in relation to the support and attached to the support through a series of tabs. The socket has an external member butted against the support and an internal spring which allows movement of an inner contact against a pair of terminals.

This invention relates generally to electrical sockets and more specifically to electrical sockets for engagement with a discharge lamp.

An object of the present invention is to provide a socket for use with a discharge lamp having adjustable means engagea'ble with a support.

Where tubular discharge lamps are to be engaged to a pair of spaced sockets, the supports on which the sockets are mounted are frequently not in proper spaced relation to each other or else have individual variations which make it difficult to assure satisfactory engagement of the discharge lamp. By providing an outer spring which engages against a flange of one of the sockets and which, in turn, also engages against the support, the shell of the lamp is adjustable in relation to the support and therefore avoids the difficulties mentioned hereinbefore.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a socket member for engagement with a tubular discharge lamp having external spring means for engaging a support and a flange of the socket an internal spring means for engagement between the rear insulator carrying contact terminals and a front insulator carrying a shorting contact engageable with the contact terminals on movement of the front insulator toward the rear insulator.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a side elevation showing a pair of sockets, one of them being internally and externally spring-loaded, engaged to a support which in turn is engaged to a second support; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross section of the adjustable socket engaged to a support which is broken off,

In the drawing there is shown a support housing comprising a pair of brackets 12, 12a each having an aperture 14, 14a formed therethrough, connected by a bar portion 16. The brackets 12, 12a are in spaced, parallel relation to each other.

An adjustable socket 18 is engaged to the bracket 12 and a tixed socket 20 is engaged to the bracket 12a as shown in FIG. l.

The adjustable socket 18 comprises a tubular shell 22 open at both ends and having a flange 24 extending outwardly from the body portion of the shell 22 in substantially right angle relationship therewith and having a series of tabs 26 extending from the opposite end of the shell 22 from that from which the ange 24 extends. An outer, helical spring 28 circumscribes the body portion of the shell 22 and is butted against the ilange 24 as shown in FIGS. l and 2. Some of the tabs 26 are bent inwardly toward the axis of the shell 22 while others are allowed p ICC to remain in their longitudinal or axial position for a purpose to be set forth hereinafter.

The internal elements of the adjustable socket 18 comprise a rear insulator 30, an inner spring 32, a front insulator 34 having an aperture formed therethrough and having a shorting contact 36 which has a head portion lying on one side of the front insulator 34 and which has a rear portion crimped over to engage the under surface of the front insulator 34 as shown in FIG. 2. The front insulator 34 has its shorting contact 36 engaged to it through the aperture. The rear insulator 30 comprises a cylindrical main portion having a head portion extending radially from one end thereof. A pair of terminals 38 extend through the head portion and main portion of the rear insulator 30 and are bent into abutting superposed relationship with the upper surface of the head portion and are in spaced relation to each other as shown in FIG. 2.

To assemble the internal elements of the adjustable socket 18 with the shell 22, the rear insulator 30 with its terminals 38 is dropped into the shell 22 until the shoulder 40 formed by the head portion and the main portion of the rear insulator 30 butts against the inturned tabs 26. The inner spring 32 is then dropped into place in abutting relationship with the upper surface of the head portion of the rear insulator 30 and has a diameter approximately equal to the internal diameter of the shell 22. The front insulator 34 is then dropped into the shell 22 on top of the spring 32 and the wall of the shell 22 is bumped inwardly providing a circumferential rib to hold the front insulator 34 in engagement with the inner spring 32. The assembled adjustable socket 18 is engaged to the bracket 12 by passing the tabs 26 through the aperture 14 which places the outer spring 28 into abutting relationship with the outer surface of the bracket 12 adjacent the aperture 14. The diameter of the aperture 14 is slightly greater than the diameter of the body of the shell 22. The remaining tabs 26 are then bent outwardly to engage the opposite surface of the bracket 12, adjacent the aperture 14, from that engaged by the outer spring 28. The adjustable socket 18 is now engaged to the bracket 12 but is movable in relation therewith, movement toward the bracket 12 compressing the outer spring 28.

The fixed socket 20 comprises a tubular housing 42 open at both ends, one of which engages and encompasses a portion of an insulating member 44 which has a portion extending therefrom beyond the area encompassed by the housing 42 and which has engaged with it a contact member 46 which extends into the cavity defined by the insulating member 44 and the Wall of the housing 42 as shown in FIG. 1. The fixed socket 20 is passed through the aperture 14a in the bracket 12a which is in spaced parallel relationship with the other bracket 12, as shown in FIG. 1, placing the adjustable socket 18 and the fixed socket 20 in spaced relation to each other on a common axis. If a tubular discharge lamp (shown in dotted lines) 48 is now to be engaged with the assembly shown in FIG. 1, one end of the discharge lamp 48 is inserted within the adjustable socket 18 and then the discharge lamp is pushed toward the bracket 12 compressing the inner spring 32, then the discharge lamp is snapped into. the xed socket 20. The inner spring 32 takes up to provide for a positive electrical engagement between the fixed socket 20, the adjustable socket 18 and the discharge lamp 48.

The outer spring 28 may also be utilized in engaging a discharge lamp in case the relationship between the two brackets 12 makes it dicult to pass the discharge lamp into the iixed socket 20.

With reference to the foregoing description it is to be understood that what has been disclosed herein represents only a single embodiment of the invention and is to be construed as illustrative rather than restrictive in nature and that the invention is best described by the following claims:

What is claimed:

1. A support and socket member for a Ibulb, said socket member being engaged to said support and comprising a tubular shell having a rst open end and a second open end said shell having a fiange portion extending therefrom, an outer spring circumscribing said shell and butted against said flange portion and said support, a rear insulator mounted within said shell; said shell being movable in relation to said support and having a series of tabs bent inwardly toward the axis of said shell and said rear insulator including a shoulder means against which said inwardly turned tabs abut, said rear insulator being bu-tted against an inner spring, a front insulator abutting said inner spring within said shell and spaced from said rear insulator, said front insulator having a shorting contact engaged thereto said shorting contact adapted to engage at least one terminal, held by said rear insulator, on movement of said front insulator towards said rear insulator.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/195'2 Darney 339-55 11/1966 Laurenzo 339-56 NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD M. SHEER, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 240-51.l1 

